


Boy With the Book

by SpicyTomatoSauce



Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Everyone's a baby, Minor Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-02
Updated: 2019-12-02
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:07:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21640678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpicyTomatoSauce/pseuds/SpicyTomatoSauce
Summary: "What are we gonna do with the kid? He can't sit still!" Jack hissed. Snaps glanced at the unnamed little boy and thought for a moment."I think I have an idea," he said finally.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My main character is Specs and I really need to come up with a backstory for him so here it is. Enjoy. 
> 
> (Also, hi Al and Kath. Hope you're reading this.)

The boy had shown up at the Lodging house doorstep just before dark, clutching a tattered book to his chest. Snaps had immediately taken pity on the poor boy and brought him inside. Albert had just barely gotten a look at the kid before Snaps took him to the back room. His clothes were dirty and torn and his glasses were askew on his face. Snaps had shooed Albert away, sending the redhead back to the bunk room.

"Who's the kid?" Jack asked. Albert shrugged.

"Dunno. Kinda looked like a school kid, but 'is clothes're all dirty." Jack sighed. The boy was only a year older than Albert, but he looked so much older. And everyone knew that once Snaps left, Jack would be leader, meaning soon it be his turn to deal with dirty kids showing up on the doorstep with nothing but a book. A tug on Albert's shirtsleeve made him look down at a black-haired boy. "Hey, Romeo. Is something up?" Romeo pointed to the door Snaps and the boy had disappeared behind.

"Who w's that?" the tiny eight year old asked. Albert sighed and glanced around. The Lodging House had gone surprisingly quiet since the boy had shown up. Albert realized that this didn't happen that often anymore. He watched the door closely until the two came back outside.

The boy's clothes had changed, but he was still holding the book close to his chest. He walked over to an empty bunk and sat down, sniffling. Albert and Jack exchanged a glance and Jack got up to talk to Snaps. Albert sighed, turning away from the boy.

"Romeo, why dontcha--" But Romeo was gone. Albert looked around and found him talking to the new boy. Albert darted over, grabbing Romeo's arm. "Sorry 'bout Romeo, he's a bit of a chatterbox," Albert apologized. The boy shook his head.

"It-it's okay...I don't mind. He was just telling me what you all do here." Albert smiled. At least the boy was talking.

"Well...okay. So you in?"

"Am I...in? With selling newspapers?" the boy asked. "I suppose. I have nowhere else to go. Do I get to stay here?"

"Yeah!" Romeo interrupted. "If ya wanna! Or you c'n go home at th' end o' th' day. That's what Lou did b'fore 'e left!" The boy froze up.

"I don't want to go home," he said firmly. "I want to stay here. If I can."

"'Course ya can," Albert said, giving Romeo a cuff on the head before the boy could interrupt him again. "We don' mind 'long as you's actually selling." The boy nodded.

"I will," he promised. "I promise."

"Great. Selling starts t'morrow. 'M sure Jacki will be willin' ta help ya sell, if ya want," Albert said. The boy tightened his grip on his book.

"Who's Jackie?" he asked. Albert pointed to the dark haired boy.

"That guy. Jack. 'E's Snaps' second in command." The boy nodded, tapping his fingers against his book. "Ay, what's your name?" Albert asked. The boy froze up and looked away, not answering the question. "Oooookay...well...nice talkin' to ya, I guess...c'mon, Rome." Albert grabbed Romeo's arm and led the way away from the silent kid.

"Why won't 'e tell us 'is name?" Romeo asked. Albert gave him a look.

"Says you," he fired back. "Know your place, kid." He gave the boy another affectionate cuff on the head. "Now get ta bed. An' don't bother the kid no more, ya hear me?" Romeo nodded, running off.

"I hear ya!" he called back. Albert sighed and ran a hand through his hair, glancing at the new boy again, who was now reading his book like his life depended on it. 

"Poor kid..." he muttered. And he went back over to Jack.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Snaps took one look at that little boy and saw himself in those big brown eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Second chapter! Hi again to Al and Kath, I hope you're both reading.
> 
> Triggers: This one kinda deals with racism a lil bit. It's not bad, just time-period accurate racism.

Snaps took one look at that little boy and saw himself in those big brown eyes. Sure, he had never been to school and he'd never learned to read much more than basic headlines, but he understood the boy's fright and confusion. Something had happened to that boy and Snaps wanted to help. 

So he took the boy in.

In the back room, he had asked the boy many questions, most of which went unanswered. 

"What's your name?" No answer. "Where're your parents?" Still no answer. "Where ya from?"

"Queens," the boy finally spoke up, his voice just barely above a whisper. Snaps whistled.

"Queens? What're ya doin' here, kid?" And they were back to silence. Snaps sighed and tried a different question. "How old are ya?"

"Eleven," the boy said, his eyes fixated on the floor. "I'm almost twelve. On December 8th."

"And what're ya doin' here?" The boy was silent for a moment and Snaps thought he had hit another dead end, but then he spoke up.

"My daddy died and Mama ran away," he said quietly. "I have nowhere else to go..." Snaps sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

"How'd ya end up here from Queens?" The boy shrugged.

"I just kept walking, and I saw some boys coming in here so I thought maybe I could stay here, even for the night...I'm sorry if I'm intruding, I don't mean any harm." The poor kid's world was falling apart around him and he was still so mannered and polite, worried about intruding. Snaps sighed and stood up. 

"Let's go clean you up, 'kay?" he asked. The boy stood up shakily, tapping his fingers against his book. Snaps sighed.

He had taken one look at that little boy and saw himself in those big brown eyes...

\----

Jordan hadn't meant to intrude. He just needed somewhere to stay. He just wanted to be warm again. The boys had all looked nice enough and the older boy, Snaps, had been okay. But he had asked about Mama and Daddy, and Mama and Daddy were gone and Jordan didn't want to think about them. He figured if they wanted him to remember them, they wouldn't have left him. 

So Jordan did his best to forget. The other boys helped a little bit, like the younger boy named Romeo who told him that they sold newspapers, or the older boy with the red hair who told him he could stay. They were nice to him. The others stared at him like he was from another world. Jordan felt like he was intruding, even though Snaps and the red-haired boy had said he could stay. Jordan fidgeted with his glasses and stared down at his book, trying to read. 

He knew the story by heart. Robin Hood, the tale of the archer thief who stole from the rich to give to the poor. Jordan had wanted to be like Robin Hood, but he supposed Robin Hood wasn't black. Even if Robin Hood had been locked up for his crimes, Jordan would surely be hung if he tried it. So he stuck to just being Jordan, the schoolboy.

He sat on the bunk he'd been given and fidgeted, trying to read until a different boy, the one the red haired kid had called Jack, came in and told them it was time for lights-out. Jordan set his book down, but didn't even try to sleep. He sat up all through the night, staring out the window and trying to forget. It was probably around midnight when Jordan heard shifting and he looked up. The older boys were already asleep and Jordan thought nobody but him was awake when a figure ran over to him and sat on his bunk. 

It was the boy, Romeo, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hi!" he whispered. "Couldn't sleep neither?" Jordan shook his head slowly. "That's okay. You'se new, I don' think you'll be really sleepin' for a couple nights. What's your name?" Jordan looked away and didn't answer. Romeo shrugged. "What's the book?" he asked curiously. 

"Robin Hood," Jordan answered, staring at the tattered book cover. The title was so worn that he couldn't even read it anymore, but it was his oldest book and his favorite book and he wouldn't give it up for anything. 

Not even his parents coming back.

He ran his fingers down the spine of the book and sighed, opening it to a random page and then closing it again. 

"Why are you so nice to me?" he asked suddenly.

"Because. You seem like you could use a friend," Romeo smiled. Jordan returned the tiny smile and looked back down at his book.

Even Robin Hood had friends. Every Robin Hood needed a Little John.

And maybe life here would be so bad.


End file.
